Axtel Sturnclaw
:"Burhoo, oi'd foller a wurrier loike ee anywheres, zurr. You'm a gurt h'example to ee molers." :―Foremole Darbee to Axtel Sturnclaw'' Axtel Sturnclaw was a war-hammer-wielding mole warrior who helped Buckler Kordyne, the Guosim shrews, and the Redwallers to rescue the young ones that Vilaya and her Ravagers captured. The first warrior mole in the Redwall books, he was known as a berserker, or one who was filled with the Bloodwrath in the midst of battle, which was usually only a characteristic of Badger Rulers. He was a loner and a wanderer, tunneling along underground and smashing up large rocks with his hammer. If he ever killed any vermin, he would throw their carcasses up into the trees so that the earth wouldn't be sullied by their bodies. Axtel was digging around near Althier when he discovered Flib, Guffy and Gurchen in a collapsed escape tunnel, from which he rescued them. When he was left with the three young creatures, Axtel realized he had very little experience with young ones and was very shy around them. The trio told the mole of the Dibbuns being held captive in Althier by Vilaya and the Ravagers, who planned to use them for ransom. Enraged at the thought of such cruelty, Axtel left Flib in charge of things in his absence, and tunneled back into Altheir to try to get the rest of the babes. He managed to save Tassy and Borti before being crippled by Gilfis; the rat stabbed him through the footpaw, forcing the mole to make a hasty retreat and escape. Once they were free, Tassy treated the wound with herbs. When Buckler Kordyne and the Guosim met up with Axtel, the group proceeded to the dwelling place of Mumzy, who put a better dressing on the mole's footpaw. The band decided to attack Althier; Axtel went with them, as he already knew where the best spot to dig into Althier was located. He and Diggs led half the attack force, while Buckler and Log-a-Log Jango Bigboat led the other; the ambush failed, as the Ravagers had already left to attack Redwall. While spying on the Ravager's new campsite with Buckler and Sniffy, Axtel was bumped into by Fallug, who recognized him for a mole and sounded the alarm. Axtel went into full Bloodwrath then, charging the vermin alone. It was Abbess Marjoram who saved his life, convincing him to return to Redwall and have his still-painful footpaw seen to. During the final battle at Redwall, Axtel and Ambrevina Rockflash defeated many vermin between them, and later chased after Vilaya. Axtel's wounded footpaw finally got the better of him, and he was forced to hang back and let Ambrevina go on alone. After Vilaya's death, Ambry carried Axtel back to Redwall on her shoulders. Axtel went out again the next day to retrieve the young ones that had been left at Mumzy's house; after his second return to Redwall, the mole settled down at the Abbey in peace. Trivia *Axtel appears to be named after US soldier Pfc. Donald Reas Axtell III, to whom Doomwyte is dedicated. *Axtel is the only mole character to have experienced Bloodwrath. Category:Moles Category:Males Category:The Sable Quean Characters Category:Heroes Category:Characters Category:Fan Characters